‘Jack Reacher’ Sequel Unlikely to Happen

Many assumed that last year’s Jack Reacher would be just another Tom Cruise blockbuster. After all, the star’s last leading role was in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, which earned nearly $700 million at the worldwide box office.

The film is based on One Shot – the ninth novel in Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series – and director Christopher McQuarrie had already discussed his plans for following the character into future films. However, with its current box office take, Jack Reacher may not end up even getting a sequel.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the fate of any potential Jack Reacher follow-up depends on how the film performs in “key Asian territories.” It has yet to open in nations like Korea, Japan and China, and Paramount is reportedly waiting to see if the film earns $250 worldwide before green-lighting a sequel.

Thus far in its run, Jack Reacher has brought in $153 million worldwide, with only a $72.6 million domestic gross. With a modest budget of $60 million, the film will certainly see a profit, but has yet to establish itself as a credible long-term investment for Paramount and co-financer Skydance Productions.

This all begs the question of why the film failed to find an audience this holiday season. The most likely answer is that it simply got lost in the shuffle of a crowded period that included the release of more hotly anticipated films like Django Unchained, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Les Miserables. It probably didn’t help that the film hit theaters at the same time as marketing for Cruise’s next vehicle – this April’s sci-fi actioner Oblivion (in which the actor also plays an action hero named Jack) – began to heat up.

Given this latest news, are you disappointed that Jack Reacher 2 is unlikely to happen? Or would you rather Cruise focus on Mission: Impossible 5 instead? Sound off:

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Stay tuned to Screen Rant for further developments on the progress (or lack thereof) of a Jack Reacher sequel.